Global Ruleset

Version 1.0

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction        4

General Information        4

International Tournament        4

Schedule        6

Format        6

Website and Public Information        7

Game Modifications        8

Map Pool        8

Regional Rewards        8

Team Setup and Communications        9

Registration        9

Team Logos        10

Communications        10

Tournament        11

General        11

Room Settings        11

Maps: The Pick/Ban System        12

Ship Bans        13

General Rules        13

Score Reporting        13

Disputes and Restarts        13

Broadcasts        14

Rules for Official Streamers        15

Sportsmanship        16

Rules for Tournament Staff        16

Rule Changes        17

Glossary        18

Appendices        19

Appendix A: Useful Links        19

Appendix B: List of Banned Ships        19

Appendix C: List of Playable Ships        20

Appendix D: EU Format        21

Appendix E: NA Format        26

Appendix F: ASIA Format        31

Appendix G: Map Spawn Locations        33

Appendix H: List of Players permanently banned from KotS        33

Appendix I: Rule Amendments        33

1. Introduction

King of the Sea is the pinnacle of World of Warships competition. Originally founded on the EU server, King of the Sea (or KotS) has grown to become a bi-annual event held on  four Warships servers. Thanks to its grassroots support, the tournament has grown from its humble beginnings to become the official main event of World of Warships competitive gameplay.

October of 2022 will play host to the fourteenth iteration of the tournament, with ever increasing participation, and refinement. The Game client itself has evolved with the tournament, playing host to spectator mode, new maps, and a host of Tier X ships to choose from. This KotS has a chance to be the greatest one yet.

Thanks to our ever-growing community awareness, and growing volunteer pools, we are doing everything in our power to ensure that the tournament goes as smoothly as possible for all teams involved.

Good luck! And may the best cherish their crowns as true Kings of the Sea.

2. General Information

King of the Sea XIV is divided into two segments: the Regional Tournament, played on the EU, NA, ASIA and CN server, and the International Tournament. For your local Regional Tournament Structure, please see the Appendices.

1. International Tournament

1. The International Tournament is the final stage of King of the Sea, and includes teams from each region.
2. 14 teams compete in the International Tournament. Three (3) teams from each the ASIA, CN and NA region as well as five (5) teams from EU.
3. Teams participating in the International Tournament may add additional players up to a total number of fifteen (15) to their roster. These players may not have played for another team in any of the regional tournaments.
4. In the event a translated version of this ruleset conflicts with the original, this ruleset takes precedence.
5. The International Tournament will start with a Round Robin Group Stage, followed by a Single Elimination Playoff bracket.

1. Teams will be played in two (2) groups of seven (7) teams based on their regional ranking.
2. Teams are seeded the following:

1. Group A: EU 1st, CN 1st, NA 2nd, ASIA 2nd, EU 3rd, CN 3rd, EU 5th
2. Group B: NA 1st, ASIA 1st, EU 2nd, CN 2nd, NA 3rd, ASIA 3rd, EU 4th

3. Matches in the Group Stage are best-of-one with ship bans and predetermined maps. Teams are required to ban a ship for each round until 27.10. 18:00 UTC.
4. Map rotation for the Group Stage:

• Round 1: Crash Zone Alpha
• Round 2: North
• Round 3: Northern Water
• Round 4: Sea of Fortune
• Round 5: Shatter
• Round 6: Sleeping Giant
• Round 7: Tears of the Desert

1. Following procedure will determine the final standing of teams in case of ties:

1. Should two teams be tied for a placement, the head-to-head winner will receive the higher placement.
2. Should three or more teams be tied for a placement, the head-to-head record among all tied teams will be used to break the tie. If this is impossible, the next tie breaker will be the point differential of all tie breaker relevant games. In case this is impossible as well, a coin flip will decide.

2. The top four placed teams of each group advance to the Playoffs.
3. Matches in the Playoffs are best-of-three. The final is best-of-five.
4. Ship and map bans will be utilized in the Playoffs.

6. Participants in the International Tournament need to agree to the legal rules and restrictions set out here: Official Contest Rules - King of the Sea XIV
7. Eligible winners will receive the following prize payout based on their team’s final standing, divided by the amount of team members in the International Roster.

8. In the case that one or more players in a team are not eligible to receive a cash prize based on the legal rules and restrictions, their prize will be divided equally among all other members of the team.
9. All teams need to be ready to play during the times set out for the International Tournament, between 12:00 and 19:00 UTC.

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2. Schedule

1. While the stage being played at any date may vary based on region, the following dates will be used for the event:

2. All times are given for a single time zone for each server. It is up to team members to properly convert these to their own timezones.
3. The primary time zones are:

3. Format

1. All games are played in a 9v9 format with Tier X ships only.
2. Teams may field up to two (2) battleships.
3. The use of carriers, submarines, and superships are prohibited.
4. Following ship limitations apply:

• Combined limit of Kremlin and Ohio: one (1)
• Combined limit of Petropavlovsk and Napoli: one (1)
• Combined limit of Moskva and A. Nevsky: two (2)
• Combined limit of Kleber, Marceu and Ragnar: three (3)

• Limit of Kleber: two (2)
• Limit of Marceau: two (2)
• Limit of Ragnar: two (2)

1. Ships not released, in Early Access, not obtainable without purchases or no longer readily available are banned from use. See Appendix B for a comprehensive list.
2. Any ships banned during the tournament (see paragraph 4.4) are not allowed to be used.
3. Teams are composed of at least nine (9) players and a maximum of fifteen (15) players.
4. One or two of these players are designated team representatives, and must join and be available on the KotS discord.
5. The total number of teams allowed to register varies by region and can be found in the regional appendices.

4. Website and Public Information

1. All servers will be using Toornament to run their tournaments:

• EU: Link
• NA: Link
• ASIA: Link
• CN: Link

1. Through Toornament, the public will be able to see:

• Team Name
• Team Logo
• Team Standings

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1. Game Modifications

1. All mods from Aslain’s Mod Pack or the official Wargaming ModStation are allowed.
2. All players must have replays enabled. Replays are enabled by default and should be preserved by teams for all tournament battles for at least 48 hours. 

Note: Replays are overwritten by default, make sure to copy them to a separate folder following your games.

2. Map Pool

1. Following maps will be played in the tournament:

2. Map images can be found under the following link: KotS 14 [Global] - Maps

3. Regional Rewards

1. Rewards are awarded across a 12-15 player roster list.
2. For a team to be eligible for rewards, they must complete all matches in which they are scheduled. Failure to play all scheduled matches or other misconduct may result in a reduction or full withholding of rewards.
3. Regional Playoff Rewards can be found in the respective regional Appendix or under the following link: Kots 14 [Global] - Prize Pool

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3. Team Setup and Communications

1. Registration

1. Instructions on how to register are available on the King of the Sea discord server, in the respective regional signup channel:

• EU: #signup-eu

• Registration opens: 23 September 2022 14:00 UTC
• Registration closes: 2 October 2022 21:59 UTC

• NA:   #signup-na

• Registration opens:  23 September 2022 14:00 UTC
• Registration closes: 2 October 2022 03:59 UTC

• ASIA: #signup-asia

• Registration opens: 23 September 2022 14:00 UTC
• Registration closes: 2 October 2022 23:59 UTC

1. Players can only be a member of one team and may only participate in one region’s tournament.
2. All participating players will receive a press account prior to the tournament start for mandatory use. The use of this press account is exclusively granted to the player it was handed out to. Distribution of this press account to other players, or the facilitated use of this press account for any other individual is prohibited and may result in tournament or game sanctions.
3. For further information regarding the press account rules and to to set them up, please refer to the following guide: KotS 14 [Global] - Press Account Guide
4. Teams may modify their roster after the registration phase with permission of a regional adjudicator or organizer and only if there are still outstanding games for that team to play.
5. Team Names and Team Tags should be substantially related to each other.
6. Registration is by team, not by clan. Teams can be made up of members of multiple clans.
7. Teams are expected to play all matches. Failure to complete assigned games may result in the loss of prizes or other sanctions, including a ban from future tournaments. Should a team need to withdraw they should contact their assigned referee or adjudicator.
8. Places in the tournament are allocated by date and time on a first-come, first-served basis. In case the maximum capacity of teams is exceeded, remaining teams will be placed on a waiting list and admitted in case already registered teams withdraw from the tournament prior to the start of the first game day.

2. Registration for CIS players transferring to EU

1. Players and teams who transfer from CIS to EU can sign up for KotS XIV [EU] even if account transfers are not completed at registration start.
2. Teams may only field players that have an EU account or requested a transfer to the EU server.
3. For further information please refer to following FAQ: KotS 14 [EU] - Transfer from CIS to EU - FAQ 2.0

3. Team Logos

1. Team Logos are not required, but are highly recommended to aid a team’s visual brand.
2. Logos are to be uploaded to the registration portal.
3. Logos should be 200x200 pixels with a transparent background in PNG format.
4. For best results, logo elements should be recognizable even when scaled to 80x80. It is also preferable that the logo is easily visible against both light and dark backgrounds, whether by design or by submitting two versions.
5. Team Logos should be considered age-appropriate. This is PG-13 or PEGI 12.
6. Logos should not contain inappropriate symbols, logos, or images.
7. The KotS team reserves the right to reject any and all logos as needed.
8. Team logos will be edited as necessary to fit above rules if a solution is not found.
9. Team logos should not contain content that is copyrighted or belongs to another game’s IP.

4. Communications

1. The team captain and team co-captain must join the KotS discord.
2. Team registration is not possible until a team representative is available in the KotS discord.
3. All teams must have one of their reps available on the KotS discord on match days.
4. All team representatives must be able to communicate in English (All other servers and international events).
5. One team representative must attend the pre-tournament reps meeting.
6. Team members are encouraged to join the KotS discord and self-assign the corresponding region role.
7. Members of the KotS discord are not allowed to ping WG Staff and should only contact WG Staff if directed to by a tournament staff member.

4. Tournament

1. General

1. The tournament is conducted using Training Rooms.
2. The proper order of maps in each battle in the Qualifier stage may be found in your respective regional section in the Appendix.
3. Each battle is hosted by a “Home Team”

1. The Home Team occupies the top slot in the respective matchup in Toornament.
2. The Host/Home Team is responsible for opening the room and inviting their opponent and any streamers.

4. Each room must be named using the format:

Team 1 vs Team 2

5. Teams are allowed to change their lineup between games, but cannot change them during a restart.
6. Teams should not be readied up until both teams are fully sorted onto their sides.
7. If teams are short a player, they can bring a maximum of 1 bot player. The bot player must be set to high intelligence.
8. Teams cannot play with less than 8 players and will be considered as no-show if they cannot field a team within the allowed time.
9. Spectator mode should be enabled, but only official streamers, tournament staff, or designated WG staff may occupy spectator places.

2. Room Settings

1. The battle must be set for twenty (20) minutes.
2. The battle mode must be set according to paragraph 2.6.1.
3. Each team must be placed in their correct side and lineups hidden.
4. It is up to both teams to ensure the settings are chosen correctly.
5. If a mistake is found, notify your opponent as soon as possible. After two minutes have elapsed on the game clock, the game must be played to completion.
6. Repeated errors by a team in this regard may result in disqualification.

3. Maps: The Pick/Ban System

1. All matches designated in the regional structure appendices below will choose maps via pick/bans on the website.
2. Pick/ban process is as follows for a best-of-two:

1. Team 1 bans a map.
2. Team 2 bans a map. It can be the same map as Team 1.
3. Team 1 chooses an unbanned map to play for game 1.
4. Team 2 chooses their spawn for game 1.
5. Team 2 chooses the map to play for game 2.
6. Team 1 chooses their spawn for game 2.

1. Pick/ban process is as follows for a best-of-three:

7. Map bans and picks for maps 1&2 as for a best-of-two series
8. The bot will assign an unplayed and unbanned map for game 3.
9. The bot will assign random spawns.

1. For a best-of-5, the pick ban format will be as follows:

1. Map bans and picks for maps 1&2 as for a best-of-three series.
2. Team 1 chooses the map to play for game 3.
3. Team 2 chooses their spawn for game 3.
4. Team 2 chooses the map to play for game 4.
5. Team 1 chooses their spawn for game 4.
6. The bot will assign an unplayed and unbanned map for game 5.
7. The bot will assign random spawns.

1. For a modified best-of-7, the pick ban format will be as follows:

1. No maps will be banned.
2. Map picks for maps 1-4 as for a best-of-five series.
3. Team 1 chooses the map to play for game 5.
4. Team 2 chooses their spawn for game 5.
5. Team 1 chooses the map and spawn to play for game 6.

1. Ship Bans

1. Ship Bans will be used in stages of the tournament listed in the tournament regional appendices. The following procedures will apply to all regions.
2. At a stage of the event listed within each region’s format, an additional ban per team, per series will come into effect.
3. The additional ban per team will be a blind ban from each team, and apply for the entire series. These bans will be conducted after the map pick/ban process.
4. There are no class bans, so each ship is an individual ban. Des Moines and Salem are individual ships, as are Shikishima and Yamato, as well as Kleber and Marceau.
5. If a banned ship is brought, the game is considered a map loss for that team.

5. General Rules

1. Score Reporting

1. Both teams will upload a replay of their game to the tournament website for score reporting.
2. Specific or additional requirements for score reporting can be found in each regional appendix.

2. Disputes and Restarts

1. After 10 minutes from the scheduled start times, if teams are not into their battles, both of them forfeit the round. If one team is available but the other is not, the present team will receive a win. Instructions on how to report this will be provided by your regional scorekeeper.
2. All players must have replays enabled. They are enabled by default.
3. A restart may be requested if:

1. A player fails to load/disconnects.
2. The spawns/room settings are incorrect.
3. There are bugged spawns.

4. Only 1 restart is allowed per team for single battles and best of 3 series. Teams are allowed 2 restarts during a best of 5 series. Further restarts can occur at organizer discretion in the event of training room issues. Teams should not be readied up until both teams are fully sorted onto their sides.
5. In the event of a restart, please notify your assigned referee as soon as possible by pinging in discord (or joining the referee voice channel [NA]).
6. An additional restart can be granted on a case-by-case basis.
7. Restarts requested by regional organizers, Battle Faults, do not count against a team’s limit.
8. During a restart, teams may not change their ship lineup. They can change players if someone cannot reconnect, but not ships.
9. Restarts cannot be requested after two minutes have passed of game-time. After this time, both teams are considered to have agreed to the game rules and the game should be played to  completion.
10.         In the spirit of competition, we trust team reps to do a reasonable job of when and when not to allow exceptions, though request not to fall too far behind schedule.

3. Broadcasts

It is the goal of the KotS Organizers to have as many games streamed as possible.

11. All official streams will be coordinated by the KotS Organizers.
12. All streamers will load into the battle in spectator mode.
13. The start of some battles may be held to allow streamers to finish a prior battle. Teams will be informed by a referee if this is the case.
14. Teams which begin their battles without waiting for a previously announced streamer risk a battle forfeit.
15. Attempts will be made so that no streamer is streaming their clanmates.
16. We trust streamers not to pass along information that may skew results. If irrefutable evidence of this is found, said streamer will be banned permanently from all KotS-associated events and a temporary ban will be issued for any player who acted on any such information.
17. Teams may not refuse or attempt to refuse having their matches broadcast, violations may lead to disqualification.

4. Rules for Official Streamers

1. Streamers wanting to broadcast any part of the tournament are required to obtain the Streamer role on the official discord and register for each gameday they are planning to broadcast.
2. All official streams will have a minimum five-minute delay.
3. Streamers are required to report on their streaming stats and to link the respective VOD and/or other video upload (ex. YouTube).
4. Streamers are required to use the official tournament stream overlays. Overlays should be installed as soon as possible once they are made available and all technical issues should be addressed before the start of the event.
5. Streamers are required to use the official tournament mod settings.
6. Streamers are required to use a non-rotating minimap with ship names enabled.
7. Streamers are not to have facecams during games themselves. Facecams in intermissions are preferred.
8. Streamers should maintain appropriate respect for all participants, tournament staff, and viewers while streaming the event. Part of this is being on time, others are waiting for you, respect their time.
9. Streamers should maintain neutrality in their coverage of the game and not overtly support one team or another and should broadcast both teams’ perspective in the battle.
10. While on stream, Streamers must maintain a professional image and should not directly criticize participants, tournament staff, or tournament sponsors. Gameplay commentary is fine, but should maintain a professional tone.
11. Streamers shall avoid any conduct that would violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) or any similar laws in other jurisdictions.
12. Streamers may not stream battles involving a team containing members of a clan or community they are a member of or were a member of in the 3 months preceding the tournament, unless they received approval from the enemy team or direct approval from their regional coordinators.
13. Individuals or accounts that are barred from playing in King of the Sea are similarly barred from being official streamers.
14. Streamers may not at any time during a King of the Sea broadcast promote or advertise any third-party games or products without prior approval from the tournament owner.
15. On NA, a streamer may not play for a team if they are facing an opponent the streamer already casted on the same day.

5. Sportsmanship

We’re going to number these, but we shouldn’t have to. It’s 2022 guys.

16. Treat your opponents with respect. We expect all teams to play seriously, no matter the opponent. Soft-playing or throwing will be treated as unsportsmanlike play and sanctioned if necessary.
17. We have no desire to punish or disqualify teams unless absolutely necessary. If it is possible to settle disputes without resorting to a formal complaint, we encourage all teams to do so. Those that insist on applying the strict letter of the rules to their opponent will be held to the same standard.
18. Delaying games unnecessarily is a rules violation and can be punished with a default loss. If you are having technical issues, let your adjudicator and opponent know in good time.
19. All World of Warships Game Rules apply to any battles played in the tournament.
20. Players or clans sanctioned under rules in this document or that have been sanctioned by the tournament owner for rule violations in game may be excluded from future KotS iterations at the discretion of the tournament owner.

6. Rules for Tournament Staff

1. Definitions

1. For purposes of this section, “tournament staff” or “staff” includes all coordinators, adjudicators, and referees.
2. For purposes of this section, “adjudication” means the act of ruling on a dispute between parties and/or the enforcement of a tournament rule. It does not include purely administrative tasks such as score entry or streamer management.

2. Staff may not engage in adjudication in any matches involving a team representing their own clan or community OR a team made up of more than 7 members from their clan or community. Similarly, staff may not be assigned to referee a match or group in which such a team is participating.
3. Staff who are rostered on a team shall not engage in adjudication of any match while their team is actively playing.
4. In the event a procedural rule needs to be changed, staff who are rostered on teams that are still participating in the event shall defer to non competing staff when making such decisions.

7. Rule Changes

1. The tournament organizer reserves the right to change and update the tournament rules at any time.
2. Participants will be notified of any rule changes after the start of the tournament on the tournament discord server. They will also be listed in Appendix J.
3. By continuing to participate in the tournament after the changes have been announced, you agree to follow any changed rules.

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6. Glossary

7. Appendices

1. Appendix A: Useful Links

        KotS discord

        Kots XIV link collection

        Guide: How To Make a Training Room

2. Appendix B: List of Banned Ships

The following ships are banned from play:

3. Appendix C: List of Playable Ships

The following ships are allowed to play:

4. Appendix D: EU Format

5. Appendix E: NA Format

6. Appendix F: ASIA Format

7. Appendix G: CN Format

*Link will be added when it is ready

8. Appendix H: Map Spawn Locations

9. Appendix I: List of Players permanently banned from KotS

        KotS Global Ban List : Players

10. Appendix J: Rule Amendments

1. Fixed a mistake in 2.3.4. - The combined limit of Moskva and A. Nevsky is two (2) instead of one (1).
2. Added 3.2 - Added registration rules for CIS players transferring to EU.
3. Added 3.2.3.2 - Transfer instructions and FAQ.
4. 5.4.10, 5.4.14 and 5.5.5 were changed to more accurately reflect the staff and sponsors.
5. Updated Test ships vs playable ships to include Alvaro de Bazan.
6. Updated 3.2 - Updated registration rules for CIS players.
7. 5.4.12 was changed to more accurately reflect the needed approval.
8. Added participation of CN and updated 2.1.
9. Updated 4.3.1., the website will handle the pick/ban process.
10. Removed 7.4.7.3. and added 7.4.8. to reflect the additional 2 slots for the international event.
11. 7.4.3.2 updated to clarify Upper Group Matches.
12. Update format for ASIA group stage 7.6.1 and 7.6.5.
13. Added 3.1.4. Press Account Guide
14. Updated 7.4.7.1.1. - 3rd Place match is a Bo3
15. Updated 2.1.5.3.
16. Added 2.1.5.4.
17. Moved 2.1.6. to 2.1.5.8.
18. Added 2.1.5.5.
19. Fixed a mistake in 2.1.5.4.